Basic Computer Terms Unit 1—Part A Computer Technology (S1 Obj 1-2 and Obj 2-3)

Why Study Basic Terms? For some people, the computer aisles at an electronics store can be quite a mystery! Prepare for the State Skills Test Use computers in your future with ease and confidence

What is a Computer? An electronic device that you can use to manipulate, store, retrieve and process data.

Information Processing Cycle

Hardware The physical, touchable parts of the computer.

Software A term that is used in contrast to hardware; everything in the computer that is not hardware is software. Software allows you to: Process words Calculate numbers Send an e-mail Browse the Internet And many more…

Input A collection of raw data from the outside world that is put into the computer. Example: The payroll clerk collects workers' timecards so she knows how many hours each person worked and then types the hours from the timecards into a spreadsheet.

Input Devices Keyboard Mouse Scanner Digital Camera Bar code reader Graphic tablets And many more…

Processing Manipulating data Bold, italicize, underline, double space in a word processor Enter formulas and calculate totals in a spreadsheet Edit a picture

Storage The place where data is held when it is not needed for processing Storage Devices are computer components capable of storing digital data Examples of Storage Devices: Floppy Disk (almost obsolete) Hard Drive CD, DVD Flash Drive

Output The results of processed data Examples of output: A printed paper A presentation Audio Video Data is entered through various forms (input) into a computer, the data is manipulated (processing), and then information is presented to a human (output).

Output Devices Monitor Speakers Printer Headphones

Peripherals AKA—Peripheral Devices Any hardware device connected to the computer that expands the computer’s input, output and storage capabilities

Input and Output Devices As you continue, you will review several different input and output devices. You need to be able to identify each device, tell if it is an input or output device and indicate what the devices are used for.

Keyboard The most commonly used input device It is made up of : Alphabetic Keys Numeric Keys Function Keys Command Keys Connected to the computer through a USB connection or wirelessly

Mouse A hand-operated input device that controls the cursor on the screen as you move it around on a desktop Older = ball style mouse Newer = “optical” technology Turn over your mouse. Do you see a red light? If you do, then you are using an optical mouse.

Touchpad An input device used to move the cursor on a laptop computer As you slide your finger over the surface, sensors underneath detect the movement, direction and speed Useful when carrying a mouse is not practical

Trackball A pointing device that works like a mouse turned upside down; the ball in on top of the device Advantages: TrackBall is stationary so it does not require much space. You can place a trackball on any type of surface, including your lap.

Joystick Joysticks are input devices, similar to a mouse, that allow you to move the cursor in any direction Joysticks were originally used by pilots as part of an airplane's controls. Technology developed to let gamers experience a more realistic game environment

Microphone A microphone is used to input sound The sound is detected by the microphone and an electronic signal is transmitted to the computer Special hardware is used to convert the analog data (sound) into digital data so it an be stored and manipulated on the computer.

Scanner Scanners are used to convert images or text on paper into a digital image format (.bmp, .gif, .jpeg) Scanners with optical character recognition can convert text on paper into text that can be edited in a word processor

Web Cam Web cam is short for ‘web camera’ It is an input device that captures a video or image of the scene in front of it Some are built into the computer (i.e. Laptop), others are connected via USB cable Used for chatting online, security and tourism (i.e. view your favorite animal at the zoo online)

Graphics Tablet Graphics tables are used by graphics designers and illustrators to input data Create accurate drawings on a screen that could not be produced with a mouse or stylus Usually consists of a tablet that you draw on and a pen that has pressure sensitive tips allowing the artist to draw heavier and lighter lines

Biometric Devices AKA—Access Control Devices Uses a body feature of a person seeking access to identify and authorize that person Fingerprint scanner Iris scan Access card (can be scanned like a credit card or contain a radio frequency transmitter used to identify the card holder) Britain and Germany have included a microchip in their passport. The microchip contains electronic data unique to each user Fingerprint scanner is a common biometric device on personal computers. Can be used in place of a login and password to gain access to computer files or folders. Prints stored on the computer. If the print matches, access to the computer is granted.

Monitor Most commonly used output device The picture on a monitor is made up of tiny colored dots called pixels The quality and detail of the picture depends on the number of pixels that the monitor can display

Ink Jet Printer An output device that produces a hard copy by spraying ink on paper Relatively cheap to buy Can print it both black and white or color Limitations: Slow Not designed for high-volume printing Ink cartridges are expensive

Laser Jet Printer A output device that prints similar to a photo copy machine Uses powdered ink called ‘toner’ to fuse onto the paper by heat and pressure Black and white versions are relatively cheap to purchase Capable of quick high-volume printing

Speakers Most computers have a small internal speaker that produces beeping sounds when you make an error Computers can be fitted with a sound card which enables sound (audio) to be output through external speakers

Digital Camera An input device that takes photographs and stores them as digital files on a computer

Projector A device which connects to a computer and is used to project the output from the computer onto a wall or screen.

Touch Screen The only device that serves as both an input and output device You view the options available to you on the screen (output) and then use your finger to touch the option you have chosen (input)

Plotter A large document printer which is able to draw high quality images on very large pieces of paper (example: 3 feet wide by 10 feet long) Used by: Engineers Architects Map makers

The End